Tall Tales
by Jay Sketchin
Summary: Fairy tales are often thought of as just that; make believe ideas. That's what Craig had believed for years, until he found himself getting caught in a real, living fairytale. One fateful day in the woods after an encounter with the college campus jocks leads to Craig meeting Tyler, a living giant who is just as real as Craig himself is.
1. A First Encounter

Hey, guys! Wowie, it's been awhile since I posted some writing on here. I have some ideas for how to continue this AU, but right now it's just a simple oneshot. BUT if you guys want me to continue with this story, feel free to let me know. I'd be more than happy to continue this if that's what'd you all like. I hope you guys will enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it! :D

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Craig tightened his grip on his backpack as he trudged across the path through the woods. "Those assholes…" he muttered angrily. The slightly torn up notebook in his arms was still drying from being thrown in the mud, so Craig had decided to take a shortcut to both avoid seeing the ones responsible for destroying his book, and it was slightly quicker to get home. Which was good because all Craig was worried about was bringing the book home before it got damaged even more. He looked down and sighed as he saw the bright, orange leather cover, now coated with mud and dirt. It baffled Craig that people at his school could be so cruel to the point where they had attempted to destroy one of his most valued possessions.

Against his better judgement, Craig decided to stop to check the interior damage once more. The chilling autumn breeze sent a small shiver down his back and he reached up to lift his collar over the back of his neck. He turned the hardcover notebook over in his hands, and frowned sadly at the sight. With his hand, Craig tried his best to gently wipe away some of the dirt caking the sides of the cover. He was victorious by a small margin, as the vivid shade of orange was much more noticeable now, but it was still splattered with dried up clumps of muddy water. Craig chewed his lip and gingerly opened the cover to the notebook. He saw the small table of contents, with page numbers and names for his tales left blank at the bottom of the page, where he had yet to fill with future ideas. It was a bit stained on the edges of the paper, but luckily the cover had mostly protected the inside from any permanent damage.

Craig felt his chest swell with happiness that not all hope was lost, and began to quickly flip through the notebook. Each page was in fairly good condition, and for the most part the words written in his colorful array of pens weren't runny or blurred from the muddy water. A deep breath that Craig didn't even realize he was holding escaped him and he visibly relaxed. All of his works were mostly intact, and the book was still mostly usable. Craig knew there was a book repair kit shelved on the bookshelf in Evan's office, which he could use to clean off fancy dried mud and give the leather cover a proper wash. Although the concept of explaining why he needed the kit to his foster brother, and by extension the incident at school, did not sound very appealing.

"Thank fucking god…" Craig whispered softly, turning to the last few pages of his most recent work. He spied the small, pink slip of paper tucked neatly in one of the last pages. Craig smiled and turned to the page, reaching over to lift the small paper out of his salvaged notebook. It was the letter of constructive criticism his English teacher had given him, and on it was written small notes of advice that Craig was eager to put to good use.

However he wouldn't get the chance to do so, because a split moment later a particularly strong gust of wind whipped by and snatched the small pink paper right from between Craig's fingers. It fluttered away in the breeze and Craig let out a sharp gasp of horror.

"No! No, no, no, no, no!" he exclaimed in a panic, not wasting any time and breaking into a run after the runaway slip. The pastel pink paper twirled gracefully in the wind, spinning and rolling as the air carried it far away from its owner.

Craig ran off the path and dashed after the slip of paper with his arm outstretched. He weaved between the thick branches, stumbling over a root as he focused entirely on catching that paper before he lost it forever. He wanted that, needed it even, and Craig wasn't going to let it fly away if he had something to say about it. He nearly tripped over his feet when the trees parted into a clearing. Craig stuck out his arm and balanced himself, but the quick recovery was pointless, because the ground dipped sharply down and Craig felt himself fall off the edge before he could stop himself.

A small yell escaped him as he tumbled down the side of the hill, kicking up leaves and twigs as he went. Craig winced as he rolled down the tough, brittle ground, letting out small grunts of pain as he quickly and clumsily descended down the steep hill. The paper fluttered for another brief moment before the wind died down, and it began its slow descent to the forest floor. Craig stumbled near the end and landed hard on the ground on his stomach. A small groan slipped through his lips as Craig shakily rested his hands down into the rough ground and lifted his body off of the forest floor. His back and shoulder was aching from the fall, and Craig rubbed it gingerly as he turned around to look up at the hill. The steep climb rose upwards for a good twenty feet, give or take a meter, and Craig could see trees arching over the edge at the top.

Craig sighed heavily and gathered his bearings, making sure he still had his glasses and nothing important had fallen out of his backpack. As he was checking, a small flash of pink caught his eye in his peripheral. Craig grinned as the paper fluttered down in front of him, and with a swift snatching motion he caught it in his hand.

"Yes!" he exclaimed in prideful victory. "You thought you'd get away from me, didn't you?" he teased lightly. Craig grinned and put the pink paper in his backpack pocket next to his phone before rising to his feet. "Now, how do I…"

Craig froze as he realized that he was missing one of his most treasured objects. He looked around frantically for his notebook and felt all the happiness he had just experienced vanish instantly. "Fuck, no, no, no… I just got it back!" Craig said worriedly. He adjusted his backpack over his shoulders and quickly searched the area he had fallen from. "Come on, it has to be around somewhere…" Out of the corner of his eyes, Craig saw a small sliver of vivid, summer orange. He dashed over and saw his notebook standing at the edge of the clearing on the floor, not far from where he had fallen.

Craig exhaled with relief and gently picked it up, quickly inspecting it for injuries along its spine or cover. When he found none, he relaxed and wasted no time in putting it in his backpack where it could be safe. After Craig deduced that it was safely tucked away, he finally took a moment to see where the book had landed. The book had been resting in the center of what looked to be another pathway, going straight and leading back up to the hill above. Craig raised an eyebrow in surprise at the lovely convenience of the path, and smiled a little as an idea struck him. Perhaps this led to the park, or back to the school. He could find his way back from there, and enough time had passed that Craig wouldn't have to worry about running into those horrible jocks again.

After taking two whole seconds to weigh the options, Craig firmly set his jaw in determination before he stepped onto the dirt path, and made his way through the woods. His sneakers brushed through the soft, lush grass, and Craig followed the path deeper into the forest. The trees were dense and the path was the only gap between the wall of forestry around him. Craig hummed a little tune to himself and began to think about what exactly he was going to tell Evan once he got home.

Craig knew how protective his foster brother could be, and wasn't exactly eager to explain that there had been yet another incident at school. The last time he had told him that, Evan had called the school and Craig had nearly gotten in trouble when Evan had threatened to file a complaint to the administrators for poor harassment control among the students. Craig had luckily convinced Evan to give it a rest before he began to cuss over the phone, but Evan made him promise to try to stay out of trouble.

When their parents had passed away in a tragic car accident, Evan began working hard on his channel to make ends meet while Mini worked towards his degree. Evan was adamant that Craig continued to pursue his dream, so Craig continued to go to school and work his part time job at the local bookstore to help pay for bills while Evan worked full time on YouTube. Together they managed just enough to keep Craig in school while living in a small home near the campus. They supported each other and loved one another, although Craig did find Evan's overprotective tendencies to be a bit intrusive at times. He was twenty-one now; he didn't need Evan to watch over him constantly like he was an injured puppy.

While he tried to come up with a half decent excuse for why he would be home late and his notebook is destroyed, Craig was startled when he heard a loud noise interrupt his thoughts.

Craig stopped in his tracks and looked sharply in the direction the sound had come from. It was down the trail and it sounded as if something heavy, like a rock, was falling down a cliff side. Craig felt a small voice in his head tell him to ignore it and continue on, but curiosity got the best of him and he walked quietly towards the sound.

As he got closer, the sound only got louder. Craig furrowed his brow as he assessed the sound. It sounded like… breathing? Was there a bear out here sleeping? The voice in his head became much more frantic as it went through hundreds of scenarios for what the source could be, but Craig continued to walk forward. He got to a large clearing in the woods and Craig peered out from around the corner.

Craig froze in place as he saw what it was. The noise occurred again, and Craig hastily jumped back behind the tree, too shocked to speak.

He had seen a small glimpse of what the source was. And it was huge.

Craig swallowed and turned his head to look around the tree again. His eyes widened and he had to cover his mouth to keep a small scream from escaping.

It was a man.

A giant man.

It was as if it had been taken right out of a storybook. The colossal person was on it's side, facing Craig's direction with its eyes closed. It's massive chest rose and fell as the same breathing sound resonated from within it. The giant was dressed in an enormous black jacket and had faded, slightly worn jeans to match. A giant pair of sport sneakers covered its feet and a turquoise plaid shirt was showing underneath the thick black jacket that appeared to be made of leather. It had short, slightly messy brown hair and a matching beard aligning its angular jaw.

Craig was freaking out. He tried to calm himself, but couldn't help but panic. This had to be a dream. Giants weren't real, they didn't exist. They were just characters made up in fairy tales to try to eat the main character, they weren't real.

The colossal creature breathed again, and Craig realized that it was fast asleep. He fumbled to take off his backpack and reached for his pocket containing his phone. He needed to call someone for this. Craig didn't dwell in city events, but he knew for sure that this creature was most definitely not supposed to be here on a usual day. It could be dangerous! Craig's hands were shaking as he unzipped his pocket and brushed his slip of pink paper aside before grabbing his phone. He quickly scrolled through his contacts to try to figure out who he should call. Should he call the school since he's so close to the campus, the police because it could be an emergency, or should he call Evan?

Craig bit his lip as he tried to figure out the proper approach, and stiffened as a gust of wind sent the pink paper out of his backpack's pocket. Craig frantically tried to grab it, but the paper slipped out from between his fingers and fluttered through the wind. "No, no!" he pleaded in a harsh whisper. Craig watched it with worried eyes as it fluttered through the wind and gently settled onto the ground.

Directly in front of the giant's head.

You gotta be fucking kidding me. Craig gaped as he saw the paper sitting there, the giant still motionless. The voice in his head was screaming for him to just forget the paper and get out of there before it woke up, and Craig got to his feet as he finally decided to follow the voice. The giant exhaled again, and Craig flinched and looked at nervously.

It seemed to be comfortable and in a deep slumber, which could give him the window of opportunity he needed. Craig put his backpack back on his shoulders, tucking his phone in his backpack's inner pocket and zipping it shut. He chewed his lip and stepped out from beneath the dark shade of the trees, setting his sights on the pink paper sitting in the middle of the clearing. He had to be quick, and as silent as a mouse if he wanted to get out of there without waking up the massive creature.

Craig stepped lightly and took great care to avoid stepping on any twigs or leaves that could cause noise. The colossal being slumbered on, and Craig wondered if it could hear his loud heartbeat, which was rapidly beating in his chest. His foot settled next to the paper, and Craig watched the giant with nervous eyes. He was within two meters of it, but there was still no response or sign of awaking coming from the large creature.

Craig slowly bent down and took the paper between his two fingers. Once he grabbed it, Craig slowly, carefully folded it as quietly as he possibly could, then tucked it into his backpack's pocket and nudged the zipper closed as silently as he was able to. He rose to his feet and took a brief moment to look at the giant closer. It had a human face, but it was much, much bigger. The eyes were the size of beach balls and were probably terrifying if they were to open, but Craig couldn't help but be fascinated by the enormous being. He had never seen a giant before and despite his fears, he wanted to get a closer look.

The giant continued to sleep as Craig approached its enormous head. He stepped closer until he was right next to the giant, and looked at its jacket and head. The jacket was professionally made, as were the Nike's sneakers. Craig wondered how it got such big clothes, but decided he'd rather not find out and looked at its head once more. It seemed almost peaceful while sleeping and Craig carefully walked over so he could look at the closed eyes of the colossal creature. He wondered what color the eyes were. and unconsciously reached out to touch the head. He wondered if it was warm like he was, or cold like a dead body. If it was dead, would that make it a giant corpse and giant flies would come and eat at the rotting flesh?

Craig blinked as he realized that his hand was merely a foot away from its face, and sharply pulled away. He shook his head, deciding that he had stared long enough and he needed to get out of there. Immediately.

It was unfortunate for Craig that he didn't look where he was walking, and as he took a step back, there was a loud crunch as he snapped a twig beneath his feet.

Craig froze in horror and tensed as the large creature suddenly shifted. The eye opened wide and flickered around curiously. It settled on Craig and the black pupil shrunk as it adjusted to the light and gazed intensely at him. It was a brilliant shade of blue, like a blue sky after a rainstorm. Craig felt his mouth dry out and he stood there in shock. Maybe if he stayed perfectly still, it wouldn't notice him, like a Tyrannosaurus in Jurassic Park.

There was a long pause before the silence was shattered by a new voice. "...Who the hell are you?"

The giant speaking broke Craig out of his daze and he let out a terrified gasp, stumbling back. He fell onto his back and quickly crawled backwards, hyperventilating sharply as the massive creature kept staring at him. The giant rose up and began to move into a sitting position. Craig panicked and shoved himself to his feet so he could run away. He saw the clearing just behind him and broke into a mad dash for the shade that could shield him from the colossal being's attack.

The ground shifted beneath him and Craig ran faster, seeing his safety just within reach. There was a thunderous sound behind him and Craig gasped as a giant hand came crashing down in front of him, blocking his escape route. He skidded to a stop and panicked as the hand kept him from moving forward. He tried to run the other way, but gasped as another hand stopped him before he make another move.

Something strong tugged at his backpack and Craig screamed as his feet lifted off the ground. His backpack kept him elevated as a massive thumb and forefinger held his bag tightly in its grip. "Hey now, where's the fire, buddy?"

Craig flinched as a giant pair of striking blue eyes were staring intensely at him. "You know, it's not very polite to wake up strangers when they're sleeping."

"I'm sorry! Oh god, I'm so sorry!" Craig apologized quickly, trembling as he tried to not look down at the ground that was far below him. "I didn't mean to wake you up, I swear! I was just trying to find my way home, I didn't mean to wake you!"

"Really? Is waking up strangers your way of asking for directions?" it challenged with an amused expression. The giant pulled Craig closer to its face and narrowed its gaze. "Now what the hell are you doing in my part of the forest?" Craig hunched his shoulders and squeezed his eyes shut fearfully.

"I was just taking a shortcut! I didn't want to go the usual way, and I got lost and found you on accident. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up, I swear!" he begged, feeling tears threaten to fall.

The giant narrowed his eyes and wriggled Craig's backpack a little, making Craig sway his legs in the empty air. "Well, Tiny, I hate to break it to you, but you made a big mistake in waking me up. I'm not too keen on unexpected interruptions..." It's gaze hardened at the end, and Craig's blood turned to ice.

"Please!" Craig sobbed, "I'll do anything! Don't eat me, please! I promise I'll do anything, just don't eat me! I'm begging you!"

The giant stiffened and blinked at him. "Eat you?" he gagged and shuddered, making Craig shake as he hung there in terrified anticipation, "Oh hell no, that's fucking nasty!"

Craig was puzzled. "...Y-You're not gonna eat me?" he asked, trembling and trying to hold in another sob.

"No!" The giant snapped exasperated, "What kind of man do you think I am?! What, you think I'm some fucking monster?"

Craig chose not to answer that question.

The giant kept a tight grip on Craig's jacket and gave him a brief inspection. Craig knew he had said he wasn't going to eat him, but the intense gaze the massive person was giving him wasn't exactly comforting. He looked down and quickly turned away when he saw how far the ground was, clenching his teeth and fists in an effort to keep himself calm. Although staying calm tends to be hard when the ground is more than two dozen feet away with nothing beneath your feet to stop you if you were to fall.

The giant noticed this and flickered his eyes down to the forest floor, far below the human's feet. He frowned slightly and looked back up at Craig with a small smirk. "You said you'd do anything?"

"Anything!" Craig quickly spoke, his voice wavering from the brief sobbing he had done moments before.

"...Then impress me."

Craig knitted his brow. "W-What?"

"Do something that will entertain me. Something you're good at. If you impress me, you can go." The giant then lowered Craig towards the forest floor. Once his feet were firmly planted on the ground, he let go of Craig's backpack and sat down on the ground. He pulled a leg up to his chest and rested his arm on it while looking at Craig expectantly.

"...And if I don't impress you?" Craig inquired, although he feared the answer. The giant cocked his head and gave Craig a dark look with his eyes and he understood. He wasn't going to go home. Craig tensed and tugged on his jacket's collar as he swallowed nervously. "R-Right…"

"I'll give you thirty seconds to come up with something." The giant spoke calmly. Craig turned away and immediately began to panic.

He had thirty seconds to come up with something to impress the massive audience member that could eat or crush him if he did a bad job, and poor Craig was drawing blanks. He didn't play any sports in school, so he couldn't do that. Craig hated how his singing voice sounded, and he didn't have his guitar with him. Would he like jokes? He could tell a joke...

"Ten seconds."

Craig chewed his lip, trying to think. What could he do? All he was good at was writing… Craig snapped alert as he realized what he could do and frantically shrugged his backpack off his shoulders.

"Three, two, one." the giant finished with a finalizing tone. "Show me what you've got, Tiny." Craig exhaled nervously as he flipped through his mangled notebook, and scrolled through his table of contents, looking for something that could interest the massive being. What kind of story would he like? A love story, a comedy, a scary story, or an adventurous story? Craig decided to go with his gut instinct and chose a hybrid, quickly flipping to the page and setting it down on the grass.

The giant raised a brow in slight curiosity as Craig moved the backpack aside so it was just the book and him. Craig took a deep exhale, and remembered the advice his theater teacher had always told him, 'Remember to breathe. So Craig took a deep breath and began to speak.

"... There were once three adventurers. They spent their lives seeking out adventure and riches, slaying beasts of all shapes and sizes. One day, a message was sent out from a distant king who was requesting new knights for his royal guards. Believing that they were fit well for the job, the three men set out through the woods to seek audience with the king. When they arrived at the town, they encountered an old man. They asked for directions through the woods, but the man kindly offered to escort them through the woods himself. Not wanting to waste any time, and heroes gladly accepted and followed him into the woods."

Craig looked up while he walked back and forth. The giant was watching him speak with curious eyes, clearly wondering where this story was going. He made sure to not ramble, but kept his dramatic tone of voice to make the story sound as marvelous as possible. "It wasn't long before they began to approach a river infested with large, deadly alligators. 'Old man, how are we to cross the river?; the adventurers asked him, but the old man paid them no mind. Without a moment's hesitation, he took a great step and walked on the back of the alligators, using them as stepping stones before he reached the other side. Amazed, the adventurers followed after him, and found the river easy to cross as long as they mimicked the man's actions."

As Craig talked, he acted out the walking in an exaggerated manner, and pretended to lose his balance a little. The corner of the giant's mouth twitched slightly as Craig comically waved his arms around to try and balance himself on the tips of his toes, and he continued.

"Not long after, they reached yet another obstacle. A shaky bridge, falling apart and barely holding together, lay before them. Once again, the heroes asked the man for guidance. At this remark, the man reached a large tree at the edge of the cliff, and hit it with his hand. The strongest hero understood what he meant, and with a mighty kick, he knocked it down." Craig made a move to mimic the fictional hero's action, but as he lifted his leg up in the violent motion he really did lose his balance, and had to flail his arms to balance himself. The giant smirked down at him, and Craig felt his face heat up in embarrassment. He did his best to recover and tried to continue, remembering to not do something like that again.

"The plan worked well, and the tree now reached across the entire gap as a bridge. The old man climbed on and walked across without missing a beat, the heroes excitedly following. This man was clearly knight material since he was so smart and resourceful when met with obstacles like these. They all agreed that they must tell the king of him, since the king could probably use a wise fellow such as the old man in his royal guard. After a short while longer, they reached the third and final obstacle. A great cave guarded by a massive sleeping bear was next to the entrance, and required that they sneak past. The heroes trembled at the colossal size of the beast, but were shocked as the old man continued. He walked past the bear without flinching, and after passing by the cave, continued down the path. The heroes were hesitant, but sneaked after the man, shaking with fear at the large creature and taking great care to not wake it."

Craig mimicked sneaking around, and swore under his breath when he tripped slightly on his backpack. The giant gave a quiet snicker, but Craig tried to ignore his laughter and kept his focus on finishing his story.

"They arrived at the kingdom shortly after. As they arrived at the castle, the heroes spoke to the adviser to request an audience with the king. Before he left, the tallest hero spoke up. 'Excuse me, Sir," Craig spoke in a regal tone, acting as the knight with as much passion as he could muster. "We couldn't find the way to the castle, and had to seek out help from the old man who lives at the edge of the woods. He was very cunning and kind, and led us across a river filled with alligators without pausing for even a moment in the face of danger. He crossed the despite how treacherous the fall would've been, and he even walked across the cave of a beast without so much as flinching. It is clear that he is incredibly brave, and is just as smart and resourceful. Is there a chance you could find a place for him in the court for him as well?"

Here it comes. Craig prayed he wouldn't screw this up. "The adviser looked at the old man, who was standing politely beside the three heros. 'Sir, are you aware that your guide is blind?'"

There was dead silence as Craig saw the realization sink in on the giant's face. Craig grit his teeth and pulled his hands to his chest, praying that the giant would laugh. He hoped that the buildup made the twist as amusing as he had hoped. Anxiety grew as another second passed by, and Craig began to worry that the joke hadn't impressed the giant at all, and he had just sealed his doom to be crushed and made into an evening snack.

The giant stared for a brief moment before letting out a hearty chuckle. Craig visibly relaxed as he heard the laughter, and slumped his arms to his sides as he tried feverishly to calm his frantically beating heart. "Alright, you got me, that was pretty clever. You passed."

"T-Thank you." Craig replied, sighing with relief. He frowned as he realized that he shouldn't be thanking the giant that had tried to squish him minutes before, and quickly picked up his notebook and slipped it into his backpack.

"Well, thanks for the performance, uh… Oh shit, I didn't even ask for your name." the giant gestured to himself and smiled. "The name's Tyler."

Craig looked to the side albeit nervously. "Um, it's nice to meet you, Tyler… I'm Craig. Craig Thompson." Craig slapped himself mentally. Why did he tell him his full name? What in the world made him slip that up so easily?

Tyler chuckled and shifted slightly. "Well, thank you for your performance, Craig. It was… actually really funny. I haven't laughed like that in a while."

"Well, you're welcome…" Craig spoke, still slightly nervous. He picked up his bag and put it over his shoulders. "Um… does that mean I can go now?"

"Hm?" the giant murmured in slight confusion. "...Oh, right. Um… Yeah, I guess you're free to go." There was a small expression on Tyler's face that Craig didn't quite recognize. It looked like he seemed slightly sad to see him leave, but Craig shook it off as him being disappointed that he let his victim slip away.

"W-Well, uh… Goodbye, Tyler!" Craig spoke quickly, turning quickly and walking back to the pathway.

"Yeah, see ya… Craig."

Craig ran to the clearing until he was safely under the forest canopy once more. His heart was still pounding in his chest and he tried to calm down now that the threat was gone. He paused as the words Tyler had said repeated in his mind. He had sounded genuinely upset that he was leaving. Was it perhaps more than just that Craig tricked him into letting him go, and he had actually wanted him to stay? Did he like his story that much? Craig knitted his brow and decided to look back to see Tyler again, but froze as he saw nothing but empty air.

The clearing was empty, and Tyler was gone.


	2. Helping Hand

Craig was most definitely, without a doubt, lost.

Following that path had been a horrible mistake. Craig found himself in an unknown part of the forest, and only became more worried as nothing around him seemed the slightest bit familiar. He kept walking in hopes he'd stumble upon a helpful landmark to figure out where he was, but was only discouraged when he found none.

He had walked for what felt like hours through the winding paths in the woods. Craig was still shaken by the terrifying encounter that he had barely escaped from, and was still trying to lower his heart rate to a more reasonable level. The organ was drumming uncontrollably fast within his chest, even though Craig knew for certain that the threat was gone and he was safe. Craig followed the trail down an unfamiliar path, looking up at the sky to see that the sun had set mere minutes ago and soon it would be getting dark. He chewed his lip and continued walking, trying to find a familiar landmark before it became too dark for him to see anything at all.

As he walked, Craig thought about the colossal being he had encountered a mere hour ago. Tyler- or at least what the giant had introduced himself as- had seemed upset that Craig had left so soon, and Craig wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Part of him wanted to believe that he had just been disappointed that Craig had escaped being his plaything and was upset that he had been beaten at his own challenge. However, another part of Craig thought that maybe Tyler had been upset because he had actually enjoyed Craig's company. He shook his head in disbelief. There was no way it was the latter, for Tyler had made it perfectly clear that he had no intention of becoming pals with Craig, and preferred to scare and torment him instead.

Craig sighed heavily and took another turn, praying that he was going in the right direction. It quickly became clear that he wasn't, as the woods only became thicker and darker as the last of the daylight finally faded away. Fear ran through his nerves and Craig picked up the pace, walking for many minutes trying to find the path again. It seemed as though the darkness had taken hold of his mind completely, twisting and deforming the trees and flora surrounding him. Every sound seemed as though it was directly behind him, and even the slightest movement in the shadows was enough to make Craig jump out of his skin.

After countless minutes of searching, Craig finally gave up, slumping against a nearby rock and slowly sinking down until he was sitting on the coarse ground. The forest was quiet, aside from the sound of crickets and frogs occasionally chirping and croaking around him. He sat down in the grass, taking his jacket and hugging it tight to his body as he struggled to stay warm. Craig turned on his phone again to check the time and frowned as it read that it was nearly ten at night, and his phone battery was nearly dead. There was no service, but on occasion he would get spammed messages from Evan, asking for him to text him where he was, or at least to call and check in with him. By the time Craig had moved to reply to his message, he had already lost his signal. The phone eventually managed to send a small text that explained Craig would arrive home late and he was indeed okay and the messages ceased, but Craig had a feeling he was in for an earful when he got home.

That is, if he ever did get home.

It was getting much colder as the night continued on, and Craig rubbed his shoulders while leaning into his backpack in an attempt to stay warm. It didn't work very well, but he was warm enough that he could last until he was ready to get up and try walking again. It was going to be hard without a light, so Craig used what was left of his phone's battery to enable the flashlight so he could search his bag for his keychain flashlight. He searched every pocket frantically, and eventually found it buried beneath his student ID, driver's license, and house keys. Craig clicked the button to make sure it worked, and sighed with relief as a small beam of light emitted from the miniscule keychain. He turned it off and put it in his jacket's pocket just before he was plunged into darkness as his phone turned off.

Craig panicked and pressed the power button, but he quickly found that he had ran his phone completely dry. Now useless, the phone was tossed into his bag while Craig ran his hands through his hair. "Great…" he muttered, letting out an exhausted sigh. He felt hopeless, and didn't know what to do that could make his situation any better. He was lost, had no means of communication, and was freezing. Craig wondered what his brother must be feeling that very second back at their home. Evan was probably calling the police or the school- or both- trying to get ahold of him, and Craig felt awful for making his brother worry so much.

"What am I gonna do?" he asked aloud, knowing perfectly well that no one was going to answer him. Craig's lower lip trembled slightly and after sighing in defeat, he buried his face in his hands and curled up into a tight ball. He was hopelessly lost, and would have to spend the night in the forest until it was light enough for him to search for the trail again.

Craig sat there in silence for a few minutes before there was a low thud off in the distance. Flocks of birds fluttered out of the trees as Craig lifted his head as the tremor occurred again. The loud rustling of leaves resounded far off to his right, and he curiously pulled his hands away and rested them on the ground. The sound got louder, and Craig felt the ground quake beneath his feet as what sounded like massive footsteps crashed into the ground in the forest around him. There was a loud crackling sound directly outside Craig's small clearing, and after a moment of prolonged silence, a colossal shadow appeared above his head.

A giant foot came crashing through the treetops and fell directly in front of him. Craig screamed as the foot narrowly missed his body, and he grabbed his backpack as he scrambled back into the shadows. The large shoe had nearly crushed him into a welcome mat, and Craig pulled his backpack to his chest and he scrambled back as far he could until he felt his spine collide with the bark of a tree.

" _Oh, fuck!_ " the trees overhead parted and the foot abruptly moved away as a dark silhouette covered the moonlight peering through the gap in the trees. "Shit, please tell me I didn't… Kid, where are you?"

Craig's breath caught in his throat. It was the giant. _Tyler_. The massive shadow was moving and clearly looking for him, shoving trees aside and scrutinizing every inch of the forest. Craig couldn't see his face, but it did seem as though Tyler looked… concerned? Was he actually worried about Craig?

Against his better judgement, Craig swallowed his fear and dared to speak, although he was a bit nervous to what would happen once he told the giant his location. Alas, his curiosity triumphed over his mind's warnings and Craig took a small inhale before whispering in a meek voice, "…Tyler?"

The shadow shifted and Craig flinched as he felt the giant's gaze redirect so it was gazing directly at him. There was a brief moment where Craig sat there, his back still tightly pressed up against the tree, wondering if Tyler was going to do something violent or try and grab him. The silhouette let out a relieved sigh and Craig saw his shoulders slump.

"Jesus, you scared me. I thought I stepped on you or something!"

"N-No, I'm fine…" Craig replied nervously. He reached into his jacket and took out his small flashlight, turning it on and aiming it up at his unexpected company. Tyler's face was barely illuminated, but the giant seemed to instantly see where he was.

"Well, good. Give me a warning about where you are next time, alright?" he teased, but then looked sharply down at Craig in confusion. "Wait… Tiny, why are you out here? I thought you left..?"

"I did. Well, at least I tried…" Craig explained hesitantly. He sighed and looked up at Tyler hopelessly. "I'm lost."

" _Lost_?" Tyler repeated, sounding slightly worried. He leaned closer and Craig heard trees crackle as Tyler got onto his knees.

Craig swallowed and pulled his knees to his chest. "I couldn't find the path back to my house, and the sun set before I could find it. Then my phone died so I can't call for help, and I've just been trying to find my way back all night." Craig ducked his head down and rubbed his shoulders to try and warm himself. "I just want to go home…"

Tyler frowned, and Craig bit his lip to hold back an exasperated sob. He didn't want to be here anymore, and all he wanted was to just go home, to Evan. The giant got to his feet and Craig looked at his own shoes sadly. Tyler chewed his lip and quickly tried to think of a solution, and perked up when he figured out a fix to Craig's dilemma.

"Well, I can't take you into town- for obvious reasons- but I can give you a lift back to the edge of the woods, if you'd like?"

Craig lifted his head and looked up at Tyler in slight confusion. "You know the way back to town?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah, sure I do." Tyler shrugged nonchalantly. "It's just a couple minutes away from here. I can give you to ride to the edge of the woods if you want."

"Well, I actually live at the edge of the forest, so that's perfect!" Craig replied happily. He paused as he picked up his bag, and hesitated. "Wait… what do you mean you'll 'give me a ride'?"

Tyler blinked and slowly raised his hands. He wiggled his fingers a little, and Craig paled as he realized what Tyler meant. "I'm strong enough. If you just hop on, I can carry you-"

"You want me to _ride on your hand_?!" Craig exclaimed in terror. Tyler nodded, and Craig shook his head frantically. He'd rather risk getting eaten by wolves than put himself in that trap. That was a crushing experience just waiting to happen.

"What?" Tyler asked, noting Craig's terrified expression. He blinked as he understood and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, right… Look, I know it may seem pretty sketchy, but I really do want to help you. I won't hurt you." he paused. "Well, I don't _want_ to hurt you- wait fuck, that came out wrong. I mean…" Craig looked at him in confusion as Tyler sighed heavily. "I'm going to _try_ to not hurt you, okay? Honest."

Craig bit his lip and looked down at his feet. "…Do you swear?"

"On my grandmother's grave." was Tyler's reply.

He gripped his backpack tight to his chest as he weighed the options. Craig didn't know why, but somehow he felt compelled to believe what the giant was saying. Somehow he had a feeling that everything Tyler was saying was completely sincere, and he really wasn't going to hurt him. Craig took a deep breath before looking up at Tyler with hesitant eyes. "…Okay."

Tyler smiled softly in the dark at Craig's agreement, and with a slow motion, bent down and lowered his hand to the ground. Craig got to his feet as the hand lowered down until it was at his level, settling softly in the lush grass with its palm facing the sky. Tyler waiting patiently as Craig slung his backpack over his shoulders and thread his arms through the loops.

There was a brief moment as Craig looked over at the massive hand, and he hesitantly walked towards it. It was much bigger than him, and had enough space to where he could sit in it with plenty of room to move around. Craig swallowed, and looked up at Tyler again with nervous eyes. He was peering down at Craig, his expression barely visible, but he could see him nod encouragingly. Craig gulped, and very slowly, put his hands on the edge of the palm and climbed up onto the hand.

After he stepped onto the tough skin and stood to his full height, Craig examined the hand he was currently standing on with amazed eyes. It was absolutely massive, and it both fascinated and terrified him. He knelt down and sat in the hand, making sure he had everything in case he left something behind. Moments after he made sure everything was still in its proper place, Craig looked up at Tyler and nodded his head.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Tyler nodded and Craig felt the hand shift beneath him. The wind harshly whipped past him as he was quickly raised up into the air at an alarming speed, and Craig couldn't help but let out a high pitched yelp as he clambered for the nearest object to use as support.

"Sorry!" the hand slowed down to a snail pace, and Tyler swore softly under his breath. "I need to be more careful… You alright, Tiny?"

Craig was trembling in Tyler's palm, curled up around his oversized thumb and hugging it like his life depended on it. Which in this case, it partially did. Tyler winced with guilt, and cupped his hand so his fingers were curled inwards as a sort of protection against the wind while he lifted his hand up until it was at the same level as his chest. Craig pried one eye open, and looked up at Tyler nervously.

"How far is the town?"

"Pretty far." Tyler explained calmly. "You went pretty much in the opposite direction that you had wanted to go. You're about a mile away from the nearest trail that leads back to town."

"Oh…" Craig replied quietly, looking down guiltily. It was an immediate mistake because Craig saw how far down the ground was, and was quick to grip Tyler's thumb even tighter than before, screwing his eyes tightly shut and gritting his teeth.

"It's okay, I've gotten lost loads of times before. Although probably for not as long as you, since I just have to typically look around me to figure out where I am." Tyler reassured gently. Craig nodded a little in understanding, and continued to hold fast to the giant's thumb. "Speaking of, we should probably get going. It'll be a bit before we get close, but it won't take too long."

Tyler looked down and carefully began walking through the woods, making sure to avoid knocking down any trees as he went. The hand that was gingerly carrying Craig stayed eerily still, only swaying slightly as Tyler shifted his weight from one foot to the next.

Craig swallowed as he found that his seat was stable enough for him to move around on, and hesitantly let go of the giant's thumb. Tyler bent his thumb down so it was hugging the side of his palm like a guardrail, and Craig moved he was settled in the small indent of his hand, with the fingers of the hand curling up behind him and the thumb wrapped around him like a makeshift wall, properly enclosing him and protecting him from the chilling winds as Tyler strode through the woods.

"So… what are you doing up so late?" Craig hesitantly asked. Tyler blinked and looked down at him in slight surprise. He clearly hadn't been expecting Craig to start up a conversation.

"Um, I tend to stay up pretty late. I was actually on my way back home, and you just so happened to be nearby, and I ran into you on accident. Lucky you, huh?" he joked lightly. Craig chuckled nervously as he shrugged his backpack off his shoulders and set it down beside him.

"Yep, lucky me…" he repeated quietly, not sounding entirely confident in that statement.

Tyler raised his brow in curiosity, but didn't ask him any more questions. They walked for a short while longer before Tyler decided to speak up, "Where do you live?"

"Hm?" Craig wondered, perking up and out of his daze as the giant's words caught him off guard. "Me?"

"Yeah," Tyler replied, "Do you live near the edge, or a little ways away? I can only take you as far as the border."

"Oh, uh, I actually live right on the edge. There's a little cul de sac at the edge of the woods, and I live in the house on the far right."

Tyler nodded and changed his direction slightly. "I know the place, I can take you there no problem. We'll be there in a few minutes, Tiny."

Craig knitted his brow and looked up at Tyler curiously. "'Tiny'?"

Tyler paused and peered down at Craig calmly. "Yeah… It's my nickname for you. Since you're so small to me, you know?"

"Well, yeah, I got _that_ ," Craig explained quickly, "I just mean… It's so close to my actual nickname already."

"Really? What's your _real_ nickname?" Tyler asked curiously.

"…Um… 'Mini'. It's Mini." Craig explained quietly. Tyler looked at him in slight surprise, and chuckled softly.

"Mini, huh?" he turned away and resumed walking. "I like it, it suits you."

"Why, because I'm so short compared to everyone else?" Craig inquired.

"No, because you're like a fun-sized person to me. A _mini_ person."

" _Fun-Sized_?!" Craig repeated with a loud snort. He snickered quietly while Tyler smirked.

"Hey, I'm just being honest." he defended quickly.

"I guess that means I can call you ' _Jumbo_ ' now, right?" Craig quipped with a mischievous grin. Tyler stiffened and his shoulders shook as he chuckled despite himself.

"Don't you dare!" he warned through a smile. Craig continued to laugh and covered his mouth to try to stop the giggles from escaping. Tyler cocked his head to the side and rolled his eyes playfully.

Craig finally calmed down and turned his head to watch the trees go by as Tyler led them both out of the woods.

"Why did you go through the woods if you didn't know your way back anyways?" Tyler wondered aloud.

Craig looked up at Tyler cautiously and reached over to grip his backpack, which held his precious storybook. "Um," he stammered nervously, "I uh… ran into some trouble with some of the boys on campus."

"Oh, you're a student at the college?" Tyler asked curiously. Craig tensed in surprise, but hesitantly nodded yes. "What kind of students were giving you trouble? The popular girl clique?"

"Oh, uh… no." Craig replied quietly, "…It was the football team."

"Ah," Tyler hummed in understanding. "The jocks." Craig nodded in confirmation and Tyler frowned. "Don't let them get to you, they just like to pick on people smaller than them for fun. Trust me, I know all about that." he added.

Craig furrowed his brow in slight confusion. Did Tyler just imply that he bullies humans because he's bigger than him? Was he a _giant_ bully? Before he had the chance to ask if Tyler could clarify what he meant, the giant stopped in his tracks and pulled his hand close to his chest.

"We're here; the end of the forest trail." Tyler looked around until he saw the small, brown two-story house at the end of the cul de sac, and stepped over to it until he was just beyond the trees outlining the backyard. He lowered his hand and Craig gathered his items as he whispered.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Tyler commented. Craig caught a small frown gracing his features, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "And, uh… if you need help again, just…give me a shout, alright? I'll try to get there as quickly as I can, and I'll watch where I step this time." he added.

"Thanks, I'll remember that…" Craig replied softly, sliding off the edge of Tyler's palm and hooking his bag over his shoulders. He was positive that he would _never_ call for him, but at least he was getting somewhat of a promise that Tyler would leave him alone from now on.

"Okay. Well, goodnight… Mini." said Tyler hesitantly.

"Yeah, see you later, Tyler…" was Craig's hesitant reply. Tyler hummed in satisfaction and Craig watched as his hand retracted and Tyler began to rise to his full height. Craig shrunk slightly as Tyler towered over him, but the latter only nodded kindly and turned around to walk back into the woods. Within moments and a few tremors beneath his feet (Craig heard a car alarm go off in the distance) Tyler had vanished into the dark and Craig was alone in his backyard.

Craig swallowed softly as he stared into the dark woods before him, still in slight disbelief of what had just occurred. After a particularly harsh gust of wind, Craig shivered and finally recovered from his daze. His sneakers scraped against the freshly cut grass before he turned on his heel and ran for the front door, slipping his bag off and fumbling for his house keys.

The sooner he got inside, the quicker he would be able to take a shower and eat something, and the sooner Craig would feel a thousand times better after his traumatic evening.

—-

"Thank you, Mr. Gray," Evan spoke into the house phone. He hung up and quickly turned back to his cell phone, bringing it to his ear. "His english teacher hasn't seen him since he left the school. That's the last he saw him…"

The person on the other end said something, and Evan scoffed, running his hands through his messy black hair. "Officer, with all do respect, I don't see how I can 'stay calm' about this!" he paced back and forth in the kitchen while their dog, Sparky, followed him around at his feet. "He's my brother, sir! Please…"

The officer spoke again, and Evan nodded. "Yes… Okay… Yes, of course!" Evan bit his lip as Sparky plopped down on his rear at Evan's feet, who had just so happened to stop in front of the treat cabinet on accident. "He's… he's wearing a brown jacket and blue jeans, with grey sneakers and a red shirt with the Charmander Pokemon on it. His backpack is blue and black, and he wears silver glasses. He's exactly six feet tall, has brown eyes, brown hair, and he wears an Apple watch most of the time, and he responds to the name 'Mini'…"

Evan choked a little and Sparky, sensing his owner's sadness, proceeded to lie down at Evan's feet and rest his head on his front paws. "Officer, _please_. He's the only family I have…"

The front door clicked as it unlocked, and Sparky perked up instantly. The dog jumped to his feet and ran out of the kitchen and down the hall that led straight to the front door. There was a soft gasp, and a cheery voice echoed down the hall, "Sparky! Hiya, boy!"

Evan froze as he heard a familiar voice, and peered around the corner. He caught sight of the one he was currently describing to a police officer, and quickly turned away to forward his new knowledge to the latter. "Officer, you can call off any orders. He just walked through the front door."

Craig grinned and kneeled down to greet his beloved pet with open arms. "Hi, buddy!" he said, letting Sparky bound forward and jump up to lick his face. "What are you doing up so late, huh?" Sparky didn't answer and just continued to lick his beloved owner while Craig chuckled at the feeling of his jaw getting soaked with dog saliva. "Okay, okay! Down boy." He gently nudged Sparky back into a standing position, but the dog trotted around Craig's legs with his tail wagging like he had become part-fan. Craig shrugged his jacket off his shoulders and set his backpack down on the ground before hanging his coat up on the hook next to the front door.

" _Craig Thompson_ ," a loud, firm voice interrupted him. Craig jumped and looked down the front hall, and caught sight of his older brother walking down the hall towards him.

"Oh crap…" he muttered under his breath. He was definitely in for it now. Evan made a beeline towards Craig, and the former barely had time to let go of his jacket before a pair of strong arms wrapped firmly around his middle and pulled him close. Evan hugged him tightly and Craig could hear a slightly uneven pattern to Evan's breathing as his face was buried into his brother's shoulder.

"Where the hell were you?" asked Evan with deep concern in his voice. "Why didn't you call me?" Craig couldn't move his arms, and looked up at Evan once he pulled away from the hug.

"I was in the woods. It was hard to get a signal, and after I sent you that last text, my phone died about five minutes later."

"What were you doing in the woods…?" was Evan's immediate reply. Craig chewed his lip while Sparky rubbed against his leg lovingly.

"Um, I had wanted to take a shortcut. I went off the trail when I lost one of my papers, and I couldn't find the way back again." he quickly realised that a part of his tale didn't add up, and quickly explained, "I used my keychain flashlight to see, and eventually I found the trail back to the school, then came home as fast as I could."

Evan took in his disheveled and tired appearance, and frowned. "Well… at least you're safe. That's all that matters." Evan remarked gently.

Craig nodded and frowned guiltily. "I'm sorry I worried you. I had tried to call you, I really did!"

"I know! I believe you," Evan quickly explained. "I just wished you hadn't gone off the trail. Did you at least get that paper back?"

"Yeah, I did." Craig responded. He bit his lip and reached into his backpack and gingerly lifted out his notebook. "But… I dropped my notebook in some mud…"

Evan gasped softly and gently took it from his hands after Craig's approval. "Is it ruined?"

"No, but it's a bit dirty. I was hoping to use that book repair kit you have in your office to clean it and fix it…?" Craig explained, a hint of hopefulness in his voice.

"Sure," Evan agreed without hesitation. "Luckily, you have a three day weekend this week so you can sleep in, but if you want to use it go ahead. Besides, it's yours just as much as it is mine." Craig thanked him quietly, and hugged his notebook to his chest. Evan took in his tired appearance, and gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "Why don't you go take a shower and get some sleep? It'll be midnight in less than an hour."

Craig brightened at the thought of a shower and nodded eagerly. "Is it okay if I let Sparky sleep with me?"

"He's _your_ dog, I don't make the rules here." Evan replied with a smile.

"That could be debatable." Craig quipped with a slight smirk. Evan rested his hand on his hip and ruffled Craig's already-messy hair.

"Hey, I'm just trying to look out for my little brother. Excuse me for _caring_."

Craig swatted his hand away and slung his backpack over his shoulder, walking over to the small staircase that led to the second story of their home. "Sparky. Upstairs buddy, c'mon!" Sparky perked up at the sound of his master's voice, and bounded after Craig. He clambered up the steps and Evan followed after him until he reached the bottom of the stairwell, smiling as he heard Craig walk into his bedroom, and headed back to the kitchen after he heard the door close behind him.

Craig slumped against the bedroom door with an exhausted sigh, and wasted no time in shrugging off his bag. His backpack was clumsily thrown on top of his bed, where Sparky jumped up and gladly made himself comfortable on Craig's plush gray duvet. The bathroom door creaked slightly as it opened and Craig flickered on the lights, turning on the shower and setting it to a comfortable temperature before moving to the sink to remove his glasses and shirt.

His reflection made Craig stop in his track, and he couldn't help but gape at the sight before him. It was no wonder Evan had been worried; Craig looked like he had died and reanimated a dozen times over. His hair was messy, his eyes dark and tired, nose and cheeks red from the chilling air outside, and scrapes and cuts from when he had tripped and fell into the dirt. He assumed he had probably looked worse for wear, but he hadn't expected to be looking at a reflection of a complete trainwreck.

The curtain in front of his bathroom window caught his eye and Craig looked at the reflection to peer outside into the night. He could see the trees in the backyard, and beyond that, the dark forest. It sent a cold chill down Craig's spine now that he knew the woods was a home to a real life giant whose presence, to what Craig was aware of, was known exclusively to Craig and Craig alone.

Craig decided at that point that tomorrow, he was going to go back into those woods and track that giant down again. He refused to believe that what he had seen had been real. Maybe he hit his head when he fell down that hill, and just imagined the whole thing on his walk back home. He honestly wasn't even sure if what he had seen was real or not. But one thing was for certain; there was something strange going on in those woods, and Craig definitely wasn't going to let it rest until he knew _exactly_ what it was.


End file.
